Malice in Wonderland
by YourZombieStalker
Summary: Echo Mist is extremely intelligent, and easily sees past the bright illusions that were created to cover up the dark truth of Wonderland. She's there in an attempt to cleanse the bloody world. Will she return successfully or lose to the traumatic madness?
1. Echo

I strode confidently through the woods of _Wonderland_, oddly reassured by the fact that, although I was only one of the many people who had wandered so far beyond the path of normality, no other had ever returned. Only people who were innocent were enabled to pass through the doorway in the first place. I suppose I must have been "innocent" then; just like all the others who had been lured into this illusion, only to be trapped forever by the unsuspected truth. The difference between myself and all the others who had wandered this same blood-stained path, was that I knew what I was doing. Since I knew what to expect, my mind had not been fooled by the deceitful laughs and artificial colors created to capture the innocent in their sick little world. All I saw was darkness; all I heard were screams.

My intelligence must have greatly surpassed all others to be able to see the reality that was "_Wonderland_". As soon as I realized that, I knew I would be the one to cleanse this world of its blood and despair, and return home as a hero, rather than a heroine. I was not weak and I would not succumb to the insanity that this world inflicted upon people. So just who am I, you ask? I am Echo Mist; 13 years old and, as you may have already assumed, remarkably intelligent. What I lack in physical strength, I more than make up for in mental. So, let me get one thing straight with you before I begin, I _will_ return home successful, and it'll be easy too. Of course, it would be a piece of cake for me. If I didn't know that for sure, I wouldn't be risking my life here.

I continued to stroll casually down the dark, twisted road until I came upon a rose garden. It wasn't an average garden with colorful flowers and a lovely little stone path. It was more like a wild maze of thorns elaborately intertwined with pure white roses. I slowly made my way through the winding pricks, careful not to get lost or stabbed with a thorn. My journey had only just begun and I was already facing danger. But, that didn't matter; if I didn't try at all, then how can I have any hopes of succeeding? As the dark blue sky began to fade, I sped up my pace, racing time in an attempt to escape the pitch black sky. There didn't seem to be any sun here - just the blue sky and the black sky. Sunlight doesn't exist in a world of darkness. I didn't doubt myself though, as I knew that the trick to getting out of mazes was all about paying close attention to your surroundings.

I was so close that I could see the end of the maze, even in the darkness. But as I moved to finally make my exit, I could feel a tug on my long, black hair when it got caught in a tangle of thorns. I could feel how tangled it was in the bush. It was pulling me down and I could feel it dragging me back into the "garden". But no matter what, I refused to scream. Screaming shows weakness, and I am not, by any means weak.

I wouldn't scream... I wouldn't scream... I wouldn't...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

I let out a blood-curdling shriek as I felt a sharp, stabbing pain in my ankle. The bushes were closing in on me; swallowing me whole as tears began to stroll down my cheeks. I had to get away. There was always a way out. But when my vision began fading in and out of consciousness, the panic started to seep in. I began thrashing around aimlessly in an attempt to free myself but I was becoming overwhelmed by the stupid shrubs as they closed in on me and dragged me down under them.

Suddenly, I thumped to the ground and the blood-thirsty bushes dispersed. I didn't dare open my eyes, in fear of what might have scared them away.

"Need a hand?" Said the soft, gentle voice of a stranger.

After finally realizing that somebody had spoken to me, I just nodded and put my hand out. After all, the owner of that delicate hand _had_ saved me. Unless... I was just falling for the illusions like everyone else had? After being pulled up to my feet by the stranger, I opened my eyes at last. What I saw was what appeared to be a small boy around my age, with a huge cheesy grin taking up his face. He opened his glowing, green eyes and stared at me, still grinning. Actually, he looked kind of cute with his thin blue and purple streaks throughout his short black hair. He was pretty skinny, and maybe even a couple of inches shorter than me. Honestly, he sort of looked like a little cat - nothing threatening there. Still, I couldn't let my guard down.

"Who are you?" I asked calmly.

"I am whoever you want me to be." he answered in a charming voice, still grinning.

I wouldn't be fooled by his false charm. Everything else might have looked as depressing as ever, but I still didn't know the extent of the illusions. I could have been face to face with a psycho murderer for all I knew. Trust was forbidden in a world like this. What really creeped me out about him was the huge grin plastered onto his face. It was a complete lie. No one, not even a psycho, could be that happy here.

"I just want you to lose the creepy grin."

He looked astounded for a moment, before he looked down and his grin turned into a tiny smile. He looked relieved.

"You're smart." he replied so quietly that it was almost a whisper. "How did you know?"

"It's an obvious illusion. I will not allow myself to be deceived."

"So you knew before you came here, that it was all an illusion." he stated, rather than asked, as if he already knew who I was.

"Of course."

I couldn't allow myself to trust this stranger with any more information, so I just left it at that and began to walk away. I didn't know where I was going, but I had to get away from him before I began to rely on him. I may have been alone there, but I didn't need his protection, much less his company

"Where are you going?" He said, following me with a sad little pout on his face. I was a bit shocked to see him look so upset, and stopped walking for just a moment.

"Why are you so sad?"

He looked down at the ground before giving his reply. "Because I have never met a person before who can see the real me..."

I stared at him - my previously emotionless face turning into a cocky smirk. I really am amazing, aren't I? I'm smart enough to see through this charade, while no one else can. Maybe I could stick with him for just a bit longer.

"Then come with me. I'm heading to the castle and I don't know my way, so you could help." I said with a small, polite smile, although it probably looked a bit forced.

He smiled too and was about to follow me until he noticed all the dirt, scratches, and blood winding down my arms and legs.

"We should get you cleaned up. It's dangerous to be walking around covered in blood out here." He said quietly, his voice laced with concern.

Reluctantly, I followed him to wherever he was going, and hoped that he was one of the good guys. After a surprisingly short walk, we arrived at a little house. Behind the house was an incredibly long table with dozens of tea sets laid out. However there were only two guests at the table; both of which looked simply miserable. One of them had long brown hair that flopped down to hide her eyes - the other guy's abnormally large, red and black, checkered hat covered his entire head like a bucket. As soon as they noticed me walk in, they're faces lit up and silly looks replaced depressed ones.

"Hello! Welcome to our mad tea party!" They each said with a silly voice. I, obviously, was not amused.

They each hopped up to show how funny looking they actually were. The girl with long hair was especially short; shorter than me - and her large, obsidian eyes were imitating a twinkle (although she was clearly struggling to keep up the charade). The other boy had lifted up his hat to reveal pale white hair with bangs that hung over his entrancing red eyes. I opened my mouth to say something about how they were obviously faking, but the boy spoke before I could get the words out.

"You can cut the act. She knows."

They both heaved a sigh of relief and didn't hesitate returning to their former states.

"I don't believe I've introduced myself to any of you. I'm Echo, and I must admit it's actually nice to meet you." I said in a monotonous voice

I had begun to realize that they were being forced to keep up this illusion. As to who was forcing them, I had no idea. That didn't mean I had to trust them (and I didn't), but having some allies in a place like this couldn't hurt. The man with the hat smiled and shook my hand before introducing himself as "The Hatter". He proceeded to eye me skeptically, and search over me with his hypnotizing eyes. It was pretty uncomfortable, to tell the truth. He circled around me like a vulture before nodding his head in acceptance and turning to the girl, who then introduced herself as "March". They both sounded like odd names and I presumed they were some sort of nicknames. However, if there was one thing I knew, it was that something definitely didn't feel right about The Hatter. Was it just me or did he seem sort of weird? In fact, he seemed a bit mad! I turned to the boy who I'd first met; the one who saved me from a tragic "Death by Rose Bush". Now that I looked back on the whole incident, I felt rather stupid. I actually let myself think that I was wrong to come here! But, of course I wasn't wrong; I was never wrong.

"You know, I don't even know your name yet."

"You can call me Cheshire. It's nice to know your name so that I can properly address you now." he replied with a small smile.

It was odd. Even though his grins were fake, his smiles seemed to be real, and it seemed to work that way with Hatter and March as well. But, how could they muster even a tiny, genuine smile in this place? It seemed impossible to me. _Wonderland_ was such a bloody realm of sorrow and dread. Even now, hidden behind thick, towering walls that could probably block even the loudest of screams, I could hear the faint, uncontrollable sobs that could only belong to a young girl who had finally begun to lose her mind to the traumatizing, lethal world. And the worst part was that there was nothing I could do for her. Even if; no, when I save this world (or destroy - whichever one has a better chance of working), there would be nothing I could do for the people who had already given into the despair that was _Wonderland_. I'd never be able to erase the memories of what they had seen - that they had experienced. It'd be impossible for me to heal the wounds when they had already been cut so deep that the blood was spilling like water; the bones shattered into so many little pieces, that they were nothing more than ashes being dragged away by the violent winds of sorrow.

Unknowingly, my feet had taken me to sit in one of the many empty chairs beside the others. I seemed that while I was deep in thought, March had pulled her hair into high pigtails, which made me notice her striking resemblance to a rabbit - or rather a hare. She was a very quiet girl, and looked quite shy as she sipped her tea in silence. I took a sip of my own cup of tea, which had probably been placed there in front of me a short while ago, while I was distracted. It was probably a poor decision on my part to take a sip of the tea, which could have easily been poisoned for all I knew. But, seeing as how I wasn't dying already, I figured that the tea was safe to continue drinking - just this once.

I took part in some idle chit-chat with Cheshire, while out of the corner of my eye, I could see Hatter staring at me, intently. His eyes were piercing, and quite hard to ignore, especially since they were accompanied by a somewhat creepy, amused looking smirk. But why would he be so amused with me? I glanced back at him, not really listening to Cheshire anymore, and his red eyes briefly met with my golden ones. He resumed staring, however, not seeming at all affected by the fact that I had noticed already. Uncomfortable with the current situation, I returned to my conversation with Cheshire, attempting to ignore his eyes burning into me. I was failing horribly though, and was left with no choice but to turn around and question his cold stares.

"Do you... need something? You can ask, it's alright."

He replied in a sinister and seductive voice "Could you come with me for a moment?"

* * *

**A/N:**

Okay, so this is my first story and I'm having trouble coming up with more terrifying things to add to Wonderland. :D

I've got some great things in mind already, but I'm not quite sure how many more ideas I can come up with, before I go totally brain dead. There's only so many depressing and disturbing things one person can come up with before going mentally insane. I've taken an extremely odd twist with Alice in Wonderland, and even created my own character. I was going to just use Alice, but the plot I had in mind called for a new character, and that character just _had _to be created by my own messed up mind, or else it just wouldn't work :P

Also, if anyone has any ideas about what to add to the story, I'll try to add them in, and they will be greatly appreciated.

But for now, please R&R! :D


	2. Trust

_Uncomfortable with the current situation, I returned to my conversation with Cheshire, attempting to ignore his eyes burning into me. I was failing horribly though, and was left with no choice but to turn around and question his cold stares._

_"Do you... need something? You can ask, it's alright."_

_He replied in a sinister and seductive voice "Could you come with me for a moment?"_

I froze in place. What did he want with me? Did he really just wish to speak with me, or was he plotting my death at this very moment. I considered saying no, but it was out of the question. If he really did just want to talk with me, then I would have seemed suspicious, not to mention rude. I hesitantly followed him through what seemed to be the back doors of a little house. Once inside the house and out of earshot of the others, he turned to me; his gaze everlasting. I couldn't take it any more! How much longer was he going to just stand there and stare at me! I stiffened and turned my head towards the ground, closing my eyes tightly to avoid his icy glare. I could hear him stifling a laugh and I clenched my fists - my nails digging into my already scarred skin. I could feel a hand pulling my chin up to face him.

"What's the matter?" He whispered innocently.

His eyes continued to bore into mine as my fists tightened. He knew damn well what he was doing, and it was torturous! He laughed softly at my reaction, and I refused to reply to his ridiculous question. What the hell was so funny about being harassed by him? He began to walk away, and I just stood there. I felt so relieved that he had finally left, until he came back and grabbed my hand to lead me away. His fingers entwined with mine and I blushed lightly. Damn, he infuriated me! Couldn't he just be normal and _tell _me what he was planning? Although, it's silly to even _hope _for that in _Wonderland_. He lead me into a small bathroom and began rummaging through all the cabinets, tossing random stuff out as he turned the bathroom inside out, searching intently for something unknown to me. What was it that he needed to find so badly?

"What are you looking for?" I finally spurted out, knowing right away that I'd regret asking.

"Echo, are you aware that nobody has bothered to bandage your scratches yet? He replied casually, setting some medical items on the counter.

I was only vaguely aware of the many cuts and other injuries that were etched carefully into my skin, until he brought it to my attention. They were actually stinging quite a bit, and now that I was paying attention to them, they were burning fiercely. How had I managed to ignore them for so long?

"Not really. They don't hurt too badly." _Lies..._

"In fact, they don't hurt at all." _More lies..._

"I really don't need any bandages. They can heal on their own." _So many lies..._

"Is that so?" He raised an eyebrow at my remarks before gently grabbing hold of my wrist, which had held several deep gashes in it, as well as countless smaller scratches.

He tightened his grip. I flinched and tried to keep up a look of vacancy and nonchalance. It seemed to be working until he lightly rubbed his thumb against one of the deeper cuts, which made me flinch, and I almost pulled away. Almost. But I couldn't pull away. I refused to. I wasn't weak, therefore I couldn't show weakness. I had to stay strong. He had a wide smirk on his face when I looked up. It was difficult to tell whether he was smirking at my attempt to hide the pain, or the pain itself.

"Are you sure that they don't hurt? Not at all?" He leaned in and whispered into my ear.

"N-no. N-not at all..." I said, although my stuttering and my facial expression obviously said otherwise.

I heard the faint sound of dripping, and a rather loud gasp slipped from my lips when I realized that my own blood was drizzling to the cold, hard, tile floor. At last, he released his grip on my wrist and proceeded to clean my numerous injuries.

"I think I've proved my point."

I grumbled something inaudible and finally allowed him to clean and bandage all of the visible cuts. When he was finally done, I looked into the mirror only to see that I had somewhat resembled a mummy - my legs and arms wrapped entirely in bandages. My hands had also been wrapped in bandages except for the fingers, which only had a few little band-aids on them. Although I'd never admit it (especially to Hatter), I did actually feel much better now that my scratches were covered. Even though I remained cautious and aware of my surroundings, I didn't seem to notice when Hatter slipped out of the room and reappeared directly behind me. His eyes were like daggers, cutting into my skin as he glared down at me. I could feel him watching me and my eyes widened in surprise when he suddenly wrapped his arms around me and leaned in.

"Shouldn't you be getting back to Cheshire now?" He whispered calmly into my ear.

I was speechless. I didn't know exactly what he meant by that, but I was too shocked to question his words; much less his actions. He was so... unpredictable. However, in _Wonderland_, I was _expecting _to need to expect the unexpected - if that even made any sense. His words confused even me and when he finally released me from his arms, I had nothing to do but simply stand up and return to the thickly enclosed backyard where the tea party was set up. As soon as I exited the house with Hatter, all eyes were on me. Cheshire seemed to be especially concerned about my sudden disappearance with Hatter, until he took note of the bandages that twisted around my arms like snakes. Still, even as he realized that I had only left to be bandaged up by Hatter, that same look of concern didn't fade from his face in the least.

Cheshire suddenly decided to speak up. "You should stay the night here." I didn't know what to reply to something so absurd. It wasn't even an option. I had to keep going no matter what. I had to get to the queen as soon as possible.

"Out of the question. I won't rest until I complete my mission."

"But you'll surely need your rest if you're planning on facing the queen. And I don't recommend you go out there at night anyway." Hatter said, cutting into the conversation now. Did I even tell them that my goal was to get to the queen and save/destroy this place? Obviously, they all knew now and it didn't matter how Hatter found out. It's possible I told him - or one of the others - previously when I had let my guard down, so I didn't bother to ask. It didn't make a difference whether they knew or not, even if they just so happened to be the bad guys. They couldn't stop me if they wanted to.

"I'll take my chances." I stated adamantly. I trusted them about as much as I trusted those stupid bushes and I wasn't about to give them a chance to attack me when I was most vulnerable. I was smarter than that.

"Please?" Begged Cheshire. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you." He looked up at me with those big, sad eyes of his and I knew I had to give in. Maybe I _wasn't _smarter than that. Or maybe I still was and I would just have to be even more alert than usual.

"Fine..." I sighed, and looked at the ground, not wanting to look at him anymore. I was too ashamed of how I had given in so easily. I only looked up when a small, delicate hand had grabbed my wrist and had begun to lead me away. Cheshire was so kind, but I just couldn't bring myself to trust him, no matter how much I wanted to. I'd feel far too stupid if he betrayed me after I trusted him, and I am anything but stupid. He brought me to a bedroom inside the small house - which was much larger on the inside - and told me how I could stay in that room and make myself comfortable. Clearly, I wouldn't be doing that, especially in _Wonderland_. The room _did _look rather comfortable, but I wouldn't be getting too used to it. I had to leave as soon as I woke up; no exceptions. When Cheshire finally left me to get used to my room for the night, Hatter entered. He just loved sneaking up on me didn't he? I had a feeling he would be crawling up behind me any second now, but it didn't stop me from being surprised when he actually did. He put his hand on my shoulder and I gasped when his cold hand sent shivers through my spine. I didn't turn around though. I already knew that it was him.

"What?" I said, getting reasonably irritated with his useless games by now.

"I just wanted to warn you." He said, darkly. His voice sounded much more grim than his usual playful tone. Even so, I just rolled my eyes and ignored his abnormal mysterious attitude. I still didn't bother with turning around because that would just give him the amusement of seeing my face when he tricked me - which I knew would be inevitable if I turned around.

"About what?" I snapped back, still aggravated with him.

"Cheshire." He responded gravely. "I don't think you should be trusting him."

"Why? What did he do?" I didn't even bother to point out that I didn't trust him. But, if there's was any trust coming from me, it would be more toward Cheshire than Hatter anyway. The fact that he would think to warn _me _about trust just made me even more annoyed with him. Just who did he think he was talking to? It was probably all just some silly game to him, and the second he would've thought he got me, he would have just walked away, laughing. Stupid Hatter.

"Just don't get too close to him." He sounded like he was starting to get irritated now too. I could feel his eyes burning through me once more, and it was painfully hard not to turn around and shout in his face about how much he got on my nerves just by being there.

"You can't tell me what to do." Who did he think he was, bossing me around like that?

"He's not who you think he is. Just stay away from him!" He just didn't give up did he?

"Well maybe _I'm _not who _you_ think I am! You don't even know me!" I wouldn't let him win this time.

"Maybe I know you more than you think!" He snapped. He seemed furious now.

"So what? You're some kind of stalker now? You couldn't stalk me if you wanted to!" It was true; I didn't even live in the same dimension as him.

"Just stay away from him!" At this point I turned around, intent on giving him my famous "death glare", but was surprised by the look in his eyes. He looked so sincerely concerned about my safety that I faltered a bit and decided that maybe I didn't really _want _to win this fight. But mark my words, I had given up too many fights today, and I will not forfeit the next one, no matter what. I didn't have the slightest intention of staying away from Cheshire completely, just because he told me to, but I would give up arguing for now at least.

"I'll keep my guard up." I finally said, after far too many moments of silence. I just stared up at his big, crimson eyes and gave up for now, although I still stood my ground. That is, until he did something stupid and unexpected again. He wrapped his arms around me for the second time that night and whispered in my ear once more.

"Thank you." Damn, he never failed to irritate me more than anybody else I know. I just looked away and waited for him to release me. When he finally did, he didn't even attempt to hide his smirk. I sighed and threw the only pillow on the bed at his face. It hit him spot-on, and he was steaming red when he turned around and left the room, marching away furiously. I stifled a laugh until he was completely out of earshot. The second he was gone, I closed the door and fell back onto the bed, laughing hysterically. The look on his face was priceless! I wished I had brought a camera with me so that I could remember his stupid expression forever! I clutched at my aching side to control my laughter. I swear that I'll never forget that completely bewildered look on his face. I actually couldn't wait until morning just so that I could remind him of that and rub it in his face!

I sighed contentedly and lied down on the warm bed, closing my eyes and forgetting all my buried fears for once - hoping to get a good rest. I was also hoping to stay safe that night, but for now I could just sleep, and forget about everything. There was nothing I could do in my sleep to protect myself anyway, and this was probably the safest place for me right now. So for now I would just forget about my mission to save _Wonderland_; forget about Cheshire and whether I should be avoiding him or not; forget about Hatter and how he was so insanely confusing all the time; and forget about the future and what dangers I might be facing just by staying the night here. I couldn't worry about things that were out of my control. All I could do now is get enough rest to fuel my energy for as long as possible tomorrow, since I wouldn't get too much time to sleep any time soon. So, I just closed my eyes, wondering if I would be able to dream my own dreams in a world of dreams. It was a very confusing concept, and I dare not think too much about it. I was too tired to think anyway. I actually hadn't even realized it until now, but I was exhausted. It was a long day and I didn't think it would ever end, until I finally slipped under the covers and everything seemed so much more real than it was earlier. I would actually be getting some sleep. So, slowly but surely I drifted off to sleep, and let go of all my worries for just a little while.

* * *

**A/N:**

Okay, so first I'd just like to say sorry to the few people that might have been waiting for an update. I know it took me forever to post this (and its only the second chapter D:), but I recently had some major tests including the FCAT, so I haven't have much free time lately. However, I will be updating regularly from now on, probably every week, starting next Sunday. So just try to hold on until my next update :)

And remember to R&R! :D


	3. Don't Look Back

_I actually hadn't even realized it until now, but I was exhausted. I had a long day and I didn't think it would ever end, until I slipped under the covers and everything seemed so much more real than it was earlier. I would actually be getting some sleep. So, slowly but surely I drifted off to sleep, and let go of all my worries for just a little while._

I was running; running as fast as I could but I felt like I was going in slow motion and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't go any faster. But, where was I going? What was I trying so desperately to escape? I couldn't tell. All I knew was that I was racing through empty space; darkness; nothingness. I couldn't sense my surroundings, because they weren't there. Or, that's how it seemed anyway. Suddenly the tips of my fingers met with cold metal and I gripped onto a railing as I went cascading down a large spiral staircase. My senses came to life as my ears were flooded with the sounds of angry shouts coming from behind me. I couldn't quite make out the furious words of whoever was chasing me, but it sounded like more than on person; probably two people. I didn't know who they could possibly be, as I never talked to the people around me and couldn't have any real enemies for that reason. Where was I anyway? The stairs seemed to go on forever and I must have run down at least 3 floors by now. Finally, after what felt like years, I reached the bottom of the stairs and could now examine my surroundings more properly. The shouts and yells had completely disappeared by now and it made me wonder if anyone was actually there in the first place. That seemed like a good explanation, as nobody was there when I looked back. I glanced around the large living room, and took note of how completely immaculate it looked. Everything in there was pure white and extremely elegant looking, but something at the end of the hall caught my eye. It was a small, dark red door; smaller than an average door and only a small child of about my size could fit through the doorway. The doorknob was black and looked like it had just been painted. Before I knew what I was doing, my feet had slowly taken me to the door, and my hand was on the knob. I opened the door slowly, as though there might be a monster awaiting my arrival on the other side, ready to pounce before I even knew what was going on. Not able to take the suspense anymore, I gathered up all of my guts and slammed the door open as quickly as possible. My eyes widened at what stood before me. It was a small room, especially compared to the rest of the house, and the original color scheme was probably white. The only furniture was a little bed, a floor length mirror, and a small table next to the door. But, rather than the pristine, white room that it should have been, this room was distressingly drenched in a deep red liquid. All of the furniture was stained red and it was splattered across the walls and the floor. Even the ceiling had little drops of the gooey red liquid drizzling to the ground and making the floor even dirtier. The smell of it made me sick and weak and the sight filled me with an irrational fear. Panic encompassed my usually calm mind. Everything was spinning and I couldn't think straight. I reached out blindly for something to clutch at to keep from falling over and fainting at the sight of all the blood (which had never left me dizzy and light-headed before now). My hand found stability on the small table, but this small relief didn't last long. My hand became drenched in the bloodied mess on the table and I frantically searched for something to wipe my hand on, but somehow even my clothes had somehow become soaked and stained with blood. _Who's blood is this?_ I glanced into the mirror and the horrific image awaiting me there twisted my gut. I wanted to scream but nothing came out. I wanted to run but my legs were locked in place...

And just when I thought I was going to pass out, I sat up in bed, clutching the blankets and gasping for breath. I groaned when I saw that the clock read 4:28 AM. So much for a good nights sleep. Hopefully no one had heard me tossing and turning in my sleep that night. I couldn't remember the dream now that I was awake, but I could still feel the leftover tingles of fear in my spine from before I awakened. I let out a frustrated sigh and tried to go back to sleep. Well at least now I know that you can dream in a dream.

When going back to sleep didn't work, I decided to do a little exploring of my strange new surroundings. I hopped out of bed with a new found curiosity. It may have killed the cat, but I doubt that cat was anywhere _near _as intelligent as me. I left my room and crept carefully through the halls, as quiet as a mouse. Nothing really seemed too out of the ordinary until I noticed a small, gold key in the middle of the floor. I wondered whether someone dropped it or purposely left it there to be found. Well, there was only one way to find out. I had to see what the key was supposed to unlock. I picked it up and examined it carefully, committing to memory exactly what it looked like, before slipping it into my back pocket and returning to the hallway. In the hallway, there were several doors on each side. They all looked exactly the same and none of them had a keyhole. I exited the boring hallway where my own room happened to be, and crossed the living room to get to another hallway - the only other hallway there. This hallway was much more interesting. Not only did _all _of the doors have keyholes, but they were also uniquely designed and each had a different letter printed onto them.

Unlike the last hallway, this one had only four doors. One door was checkered black and red, and had an elaborate, gothic style "H" in the middle of it. The door to the right of it was much more simple, dark blue with a small purple "C" in the center outlined in black. The third door was just a plain brown, oak door, with an average looking "M" carved into the frame. The last door, however, was quite strange compared to the others. It wasn't strange because it looked weird, but just the opposite actually. It was just an ordinary white door with no decorations, patterns, or letters whatsoever.

Cautiously, I pulled out the key. It looked like the perfect fit for the unmarked door. Without another thought, I put the little key in and turned it, unlocking the door with ease. At the exact moment I turned the knob, the door changed. It became neon green with thin black stripes wrapping around it in all different directions, as if it were caution tape, keeping everyone out. A small white "E" positioned itself in the top corner of the door and I froze in place. After a few moments of taking it all in, I finally opened the door and went inside. It was empty and freezing cold, like the room was made for the sole purpose of driving others away from it. Suddenly I felt a cold hand on my shoulder. Hatter. Why did he have to sneak up on me at the worst possible moments? I spun around quickly and was fully prepared to shout at him for startling me, but when I turned around, my eyes didn't meet with the cold, red eyes of Hatter. They met with the soft, sad, green eyes of Cheshire. I caught a glimpse of something other than sorrow in those big eyes though. Was it... pity? But why? It's not like anything _that _bad happened to me recently. Well... at least not as bad as anything that _could _have happened to me.

"Cheshire?" I said softly. I couldn't think of anything else to say.

All he did was look down and turn away. He started to walk away, but I grabbed his sleeve to stop him. He wasn't going anywhere - I needed answers; now.

"Cheshire, what's going on?" My voice sounded more stern that time, demanding answers from him.

"It's nothing." And he flashed me a big, fake smile. "Just go back to sleep." He said reassuringly. I wasn't buying it.

"Tell me what's going on!"

Suddenly, I heard a low voice come from behind Cheshire.

"Yes Cheshire, tell her what you've done..." He whispered darkly. I could see his eyes from across the dark hallway. Dark, red, angry eyes. What had Cheshire done to make him so angry? I couldn't really imagine Cheshire doing anything bad, but then again, Hatter didn't seem like someone who gets mad so easily. He seemed much more likely to brush it off and make it into a joke. Cheshire clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut. He was getting pretty frustrated, like it was hurting him to say whatever he had done. It wasn't like him. When he just couldn't seem to get the words out, Hatter put his hand on Cheshire's shoulder and led him back to his room. When Hatter returned to me, he looked at me with pity in his eyes.

"Hatter, what did he do?"

"Something very bad Echo..." What kind of answer was that? He looked at me with pity once again. I was so sick of people looking at me like that! Like I was pathetic and defenseless and couldn't do anything for myself! But I knew better... I was fine on my own for my entire life, and I would be fine for the rest of it. I was smart, and clever, and resourceful, and I was completely capable of taking care of myself. I didn't need anybody else in my life. In fact, I would be leaving as soon as the sky was blue again; _alone_. They would definitely _not _be joining me. After taking control of my anger, I decided to drop the subject for now and question Hatter about something else that was bothering me at the moment.

"Hatter...I know that you put the key there for me to find. But, why? What's this room for?"

He didn't answer at first, as if he were wondering the same thing and was looking for a good reply.

"Because I wanted for you to find yourself." It was a very vague answer, but at least it was an answer. It obviously had some strange meaning behind it, and I would figure it out easily. Not now though. I couldn't think straight right now. Hatter left the cold, barren room, shutting the door behind him, and my exhaustion finally caught up to me. I passed out, right there in the empty room

By the time I woke up, it was much later than I had intended to wake up. I sat up groggily and held my head in my hands. Man, my head hurt. Actually, everything hurt. My back and neck were sore from sleeping on the hard ground, and my arms were sore from having them positioned so oddly. My still-healing wounds weren't helping either.

I looked around and finally realized that I had literally passed out here. I had fallen to the ground and slept there for the entire night. It was probably around noon already. As I came to my senses I shot up, despite my sore muscles, and ran out the door. I had to get going soon, or else I wouldn't make it very far before night time. As it was, I was already running late. As I was leaving the house, I was stopped by a very upset looking Cheshire.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to get to the Queen's Castle as soon as possible." I stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. And it was.

"But, can't you stay? It's safe here... and I don't want you getting hurt." He sounded so concerned for me, but I knew that I had to do this. Alone.

"No. I have a purpose for being here and I won't lose sight of that."

"At least let us come with you." He pleaded.

"No." That was my final answer. I turned away, intending to leave and never look back. And that's exactly what I did.

* * *

**A/N:**

Okay, so obviously I didn't update nearly as soon as I had meant to. There are multiple reasons as to why I didn't update for so long, but I'm hoping that I can _actually_ start updating regularly now. I have a pretty good idea of where the story's heading now, so it should be easier to write it.

And remember to R&R need some reviews people, let me know if there's mistakes or any critique you may be able to offer :)


	4. Remember

_"But, can't you stay? It's safe here... and I don't want you getting hurt." He sounded so concerned for me, but I knew that I had to do this. Alone._

_"No. I have a purpose for being here and I won't lose sight of that."_

_"At least let us come with you." He pleaded._

_"No." That was my final answer. I turned away, intending to leave and never look back. And that's exactly what I did._

Apparently, it had rained the previous night because I now had to trudge through the mud and in the cold. I was constantly shivering and if it were to start raining again, it probably would have snowed. It was getting dark already and there was no shelter in sight. I truly was all alone here. The only living things I had seen since I left Cheshire and Hatter were trees, and although they did seem _very _much alive, I had preferred to stay as far away from them as possible. To be completely honest with myself, I think I secretly wanted Cheshire and Hatter to come with me, but my pride simply wouldn't allow it.

I coughed softly in the harsh winds, and continued to struggle on. But I was _so _exhausted; I wasn't sure if I'd be able to hold up much longer. However, I wouldn't give up no matter what. I was far too strong to just surrender to a bit of cold and weariness; far too smart. In fact, I was more intelligent than any other person I'd ever met before, not to mention I was a better person in general.

The people closest to me back home weren't very close to me at all. I couldn't remember much from my early childhood; or really anything from before I was about 10 for that matter. But I do remember the past three years _very _well and it wasn't a very happy time for me, but it was my entire life as far as I could remember. I knew nothing but that emptiness that always filled me, and that was just fine for me because I had never experienced anything better. However, that didn't stop me from feeling hurt and depressed every once in a while.

My first memory was of my doctor telling me that everything would be okay and that I'd be placed in a foster home by the next morning. He told me that I had fallen down a staircase and hit my head incredibly hard and in a very bad spot. I was then told that I had amnesia and would never get my memories back. The only things I could remember were factual things like math and history and other general information. I would never remember my parents or anybody else in my family. I was later informed that my parents both died from rare diseases when I was 7, so I had been living with my aunt and uncle up until my accident. I guess my amnesia was too much of a burden on them, because I never even got a chance to meet them before I was placed in a foster home.

In the foster home, I had been surrounded by complete idiots and shut myself out from the real world to focus on reading and learning. I taught myself the things that public school could never teach me because of all the stupid kids that made the teachers go slower with the lessons and dumb it down for them. I never had any friends there, but that was a good thing. I could completely focus on learning. I never had anything to do all day in my stupid foster home, but think and read; not that that was a bad thing.

I was always alone; my entire life. I had no friends or family - only foster parents who were always busy with the other children. I was the only kid there that knew how to behave and take care of myself, so I never wanted to give them more work than they already had. But it was okay. Not a big deal; especially for me. It's not like I needed anything from people that I couldn't get myself.

The only thing that could ever really hurt me was knowing that my own family didn't want me anymore, just because of my amnesia. They didn't want to deal with me so they just threw me away like garbage. I had wasted many nights just lying awake, wondering why. I thought for the longest time that maybe I was just bad; rotten. Why else would no one want me? But after a long year of pain and suffering I finally realized that it wasn't _me_ that was bad- It was all of _them_. I was just so amazing that they felt threatened by my very presence. It made perfect sense. I mean how could anybody _stand _to be around someone as spectacular as me. They couldn't bear the blinding radiance that surrounds me. It's the only logical reason as to why nobody ever got close to me.

So normally I would never have noticed that a little boy from the foster home disappeared a couple of days prior to my thirteenth birthday. Although, it was rather hard _not _to know about it when it was all I heard over the course of the next few days. And it normally wouldn't have made a difference to me that this kid I barely knew had went missing. However, this case was very unusual. It was rather intriguing, actually, how he seemed to have just disappeared. According to the newspapers, he had been exploring a cave with some friends, and just got lost. But I knew that the only cave around here was a very small, uncomplicated cave and everybody from the foster home had known their way around it. There's no way he could have just gotten lost in there. And even if he had, it wouldn't have been very hard for his friends to find him.

A few more kids from around the area started to disappear as well, in the same cave. My first thought was that it was kidnapping, but I wanted to do some research on the cave and the kids before I told anybody about my theory. While researching, some very odd information came up. Apparently it was rumored that the cave was cursed, and that any curious, innocent child would fall into the illusion of the cave and be lost forever. From that day on, I did as much research as possible and stocked up on the supplies I would need for the trip. I vowed to fix the problem before it became a disaster. I made sure I knew what I was up against and I brought everything I'd need into the cave, just hoping that I was innocent enough to get in.

Unfortunately, I had dropped my pack when I got caught in the rose bush, and it was long gone by now. I now had to find food and other necessities on my own in order to survive.

Suddenly a loud crack roused me from my thoughts. Now completely alert, I spun around, prepared to face whatever monster might have been there, awaiting my downfall. I let my guard down and breathed a sigh of relief when the only thing I saw was Hatter attempting to hide in the bushes before I spotted him. It was already too late, of course - but he didn't know that.

I decided to play along for a little and pretend I didn't know he was there. I turned back around and kept walking, not even bothering to look back when I heard another snapping noise. I then decided to suddenly "trip" and fall to the ground, holding my leg as if I had broken it. As I expected, he came running out of the bushes to help me. A worried looking Cheshire came running behind him.

"Echo!" shouted a very concerned looking Hatter, as they came to her side.

"Are you okay? Do you need any help? What happened?" Cheshire continued to ramble on, worry lacing his voice.

I just burst out laughing at the sight of them being so worried over me. It was unusual to me. But a good unusual. Nobody ever showed me so much concern before.

Their reactions to my laughter had me laughing hysterically now. I don't think I'd ever laughed so much in my life. When they finally realized what had happened, they started laughing too. Once the laughter died down, we all stood up and they gave me a group hug as if we had all been the best of friends. I knew it was just because they were happy I was safe though, so I didn't make too much of a fuss about it. Deep down I was glad they were there with me, but I was outraged that they had followed me against my wishes.

"So, would you mind explaining to me why you followed me here?" I said with my hands on my hips and my foot tapping like an upset mother.

Cheshire didn't reply, and Hatter simply stated that they cared about my well being. Well of course they cared about my well being; I was the one who had to save this place. If I were gone, there would be no hope of saving (or destroying) this place at all. Still, it was nice to know that someone cared. Back in the real world, they probably hadn't even noticed my absence.

As I opened my mouth to tell them how I was still angry at them, I heard a loud shout. And then suddenly everything blurred and I fell to ground harshly. We were being surrounded by large figures that I couldn't quite make out. There were so many of them just swarming like a mob, I couldn't even count. There had been what seemed like dozens; maybe even hundreds of them just assembling all around us. I heard shouts and other loud noises but couldn't tell what anyone was saying. Before I could even realize what had happened, everything went black.

Hours later, I began to hear voices. At first they were quiet and I could barely make out the words, but as I slowly regained consciousness the voices became louder and easier to understand. My head was throbbing and there was a sharp, throbbing pain in my ankle. I probably twisted it when I fell. When I finally opened my eyes, I saw nothing but darkness. The voices, however, remained loud and clear.

"Stupid girl." Spat out a deep voice filled with malice and hatred. "She even thinks she can fool the queen." It was followed by a dark laugh that sent shivers down my spine.

"We should have just left her in the forest to decay. She deserves it for what she did." Came another voice, laced with venom.

"You know as well as I do that her fate will be much worse when the Queen gets a hold of her."

"Yes... The Queen does despise people messing with her roses. I suspect that the punishment will be even worse than death. Far worse..."

"And what about her little friends? Were they captured as well?"

"One was. But the small one escaped before we got to him."

"I assume we'll be hunting him down next then?"

"Of course."

Before I even had a chance to take in their words, the throbbing pain in the back of my head intensified and everything went black again. I was swallowed in darkness and dreadful visions began to occupy my subconscious mind.

Burning flames engulfed me and everything around me. All I could see was the dark smoke that filled my lungs and the searing fire that surrounded me. But suddenly I was outside, safe and sound. Ominous ash fell from the sky and showered me in remorse. The scene changed once more as I was curled up in the corner of a small white room and soaked in blood. Everything hurt; both physically and emotionally. All I heard were accusatory shouts filling my head and breaking me bit by bit. My own sharp cries of denial then cut through the air like a knife, and I collapsed. Everything went red.

* * *

A.N:

I know, I know. Once again I took forever to get this chapter done. -.-

But on the bright side, I have pretty much the entire rest of the story planned out from here and I can't wait to write it! So hopefully that excitement will inspire me to write faster and get it done. Just remember to R&R so I can know your opinions and maybe fix anything that needs fixing. :)


	5. Author's Note

Okay, so I know that I keep making excuses, and I am so sorry for that, but the next chapter _should _be done soon. It was going to be only a little late at first because school started and I needed to get ready and do school work and such. And then, or course, my computer like exploded. That's a huge exaggeration, but I actually was swinging around a metal necklace while I was sitting at my computer one night, when it accidentally flew out of my hand and landed in the plug-socket-thingy. I saw a bunch of sparks, and then all the power in my entire room went out. That was like over two months ago, and we're still trying to get the computer fixed -.- 

So I had to go a long time without a computer, only borrowing my moms computer for school work. Lucky for me got a new laptop for herself (thanks mom -.-), and is letting me have her computer to use until she gets mine fixed :D 

So after all of these not so fun adventures, I wrote the longest, most detailed and amazing chapter I had ever written, and I was almost done... when my computer shut down... and I didn't save.  
I was about to cry T.T and you know why it shut down? Because of updates! Isn't it supposed to warn you before it shuts down for updates?

Anyway, I just started writing it all over again today, since it's been like a week since it got deleted, and I've been too upset about it to write it all over again, but here goes my second try. So, hopefully it'll be done in the next few days :P

And hey, at least you got a little story of my trivial, computer problems and adventures out of this .


	6. Escape

_Before I even had a chance to take in their words, the throbbing pain in the back of my head intensified and everything went black again. I was swallowed in darkness and dreadful visions began to occupy my subconscious mind._

_Burning flames engulfed me and everything around me. All I could see was the dark smoke that filled my lungs and the searing fire that surrounded me. But suddenly I was outside, safe and sound. Ominous ash fell from the sky and showered me in remorse. The scene changed once more as I was in a small white room and soaked in blood. Everything hurt; both inside and outside. All I heard were accusatory shouts filling my head and breaking me bit by bit. My own sharp cries of denial then cut through the air like a knife and I collapsed. Everything went red._

Then I remembered. I didn't remember everything, but the memory of the dream I had the previous night and the visions that had recently flowed into my subconscious mind were enough. Little bits and pieces of my past had suddenly crashed into my mind like harsh waves on an empty shore. I remembered a blazing fire engulfing everything that I held dear to me. I remembered always being alone, even when my aunt and uncle were there with me. I remembered the self-hate and guilt I had always felt eating me alive before I lost my memory. I couldn't quite put together any real memories, but the feelings were there; the feelings of foreboding; foreboding not actual future events, but rather the oncoming memories of past events. The worst memory of all was the feeling of not knowing; never remembering. This was not something that I had ever forgotten; this feeling never went away. For the entire portion of my life that I could remember, I had always known everything and if I didn't, I could always find the answer and learn something new. But my past was something that I could never know, no matter how hard I tried to remember. It was the one thing that always sat in the back of my mind, mocking me, just begging me to figure it out. But I never could, and I knew that. And now that I had begun to remember, I wasn't sure I even wanted to know anymore. A sharp pain filled my chest as I thought back to my life from before I got to _Wonderland_, which seemed so long ago now, even though I had only been here for a couple of days.

I remembered my early days in the orphanage and how I had been convinced that I must have been unworthy, because my aunt and uncle didn't want me and neither did anyone else. Hundreds of people had come into the orphanage searching for a new son or daughter in the three years that I had been there, and out of those hundreds of people, none of them ever wanted me. My presence had been completely ignored at the orphanage and I was pretty sure that many of the kids there didn't even know of my existence. So I dove in my studies, always eager to learn something new; to gain more facts and knowledge than anybody else I had ever known. But a part of me still remained jealous of the other kids because they knew something that I didn't, and they took it for granted. Why should they be able to remember their pasts when I was the one who wanted to remember it the most? It made me think that I didn't deserve to know; that I didn't deserve anything, no matter how much I wanted it. I didn't deserve love or happiness or companionship or even the knowledge that I so craved. But soon enough I realized that those thoughts were foolish. I had never done anything wrong, so logically they must have all just been too intimidated by me. Nobody wanted to be compared to my superiority, so they avoided me. I was perfect, after all; intelligent, quiet, proud, independent, etc.

But I was also lonely. I had gone for weeks, maybe even months at a time without speaking a single word to anyone around me while I was at the orphanage. It was just me, my thoughts, and my books. But that was what made me who I was today. I was proud, strong, independent, and highly logical. I wouldn't be Echo if I hadn't suffered those hardships and insecurities. I would not give up these aspects of myself for anything because, no matter how lonely I was, it was well worth it. Those were the aspects that had got me here, not quite reaching my goal yet, but still alive and making progress. I never needed anyone else and never would.

I sat up and groggily opened my golden eyes, taking in my unfamiliar surrounding. I seemed to be in a small cell with dark gray walls on all sides of me but one, where the thick metal bars were. There was a small, barred window located about ten feet up on the back wall. Being as short as I was, there was no way I would ever be able to reach it, although the window wasn't totally useless. It allowed me to partially see the color of the sky outside and estimate the time. It was probably somewhere between midnight and 1:00 AM at the moment, but it was hard to be completely sure. I scanned the room for some way to escape but the cell was practically empty, with nothing but a small, flat pillow and a thin blanket lying in the corner of the cold, dark room. At the other side of the cell, there was another small window, only about two feet above my head, but instead of having bars, it was a glass window. I reached up to it, but couldn't quite reach it, even if I jumped. If I could only get up to it, I might be able to break the glass and escape. With new found hope, I looked around the cell for things that could assist me in my escape and help me get up there. I found nothing of use.

I went over to the bars and looked outside my cell for the first time. My little cell was only one of many. There were what seemed like hundreds of other cells and all of them, including mine, were in a large dark building of sorts. It seemed so organized and neat for a prison. Well, the interior of the cells weren't very clean, but at least they weren't gross and cluttered like I imagined a prison cell would look like. The whole place was very cold and empty though, like an abandoned corporate business building. There were rows and rows of cells and a sleeping prisoner occupying each one. None of them looked like common criminals to me. Rather than the big, creepy tattooed guys that I had been expecting, most of them looked like average people; some of them were even little kids or young teens like me. What really caught my eye, however, were the big flashing lights stationed carefully above each cell, each one saying something that I couldn't quite make out from my distance. They could have said anything: maybe a court date, the persons crime, the name of the convicted felon, etc. Whatever they said, I would find out soon enough when I escaped; if I escaped.

Momentarily defeated, and extremely tired, I laid my head down on the hard, flat pillow and wrapped the thin blanket around my shivering body. I lied there on the cold, hard floor waiting for much needed sleep to overcome my mind. My head was spinning, frantically trying to come up with some way out of here, but unable to focus in my exhaustion. After a while, my eyes finally slipped shut and I drifted into a deep sleep.

I woke up hours later, when the foggy grayish-blue sky could just barely be seen shining through the barred window. Lifting my aching head, I opened my eyes and slowly scanned the small cell, searching for anything that might not have been there before I fell asleep. There was now a small tray near the front of the cell. On it, was a small roll of stale bread and a large mug half-filled with some sort of gray-blue liquid.

I immediately jolted up from my spot in the corner, threw the useless bread at the far wall and dumped the liquid out onto the tray, ideas instantly swarming in my mind at the sight of the large mug. I tied the blanket to the pillow and around the handle of the mug and with incredible accuracy, swung it at the glass window. The adrenaline was pumping in my blood and I didn't even need to stop and think it through because I knew what I was doing. The window and the mug both shattered; only the pillow and the handle remaining at the end of the blanket, acting as an anchor of sorts. The handle hooked onto the other side of the window and held the blanket in place. Swiftly but carefully, I latched onto the blanket and used it to pull myself up the short distance to the window. When I got high enough, I grabbed onto the window sill and dragged myself up the rest of the wall. I squeezed myself through the small space and hopped down to the other side of a wall, apprehensive about what might be there.

It was just an empty room; completely closed off and there was absolutely nothing in there. It just seemed so incredibly pointless; it baffled me. But I couldn't dwell on my confused thought for very long.

Suddenly, a loud siren filled my ears and echoed throughout the prison. I heard loud, faraway shouts like "Get her!" and "She's trying to escape!". Luckily, I managed to come up with another brilliant plan, even in my panicked state, and put it into action immediately. Grabbing my little makeshift blanket-hook, I scaled the wall once more and hopped back down into the small cell. Stepping in the odd liquid on the tray, I made footprints all along the side of the wall, up to the broken window. When it became too high for me to simply kick the wall, I removed my shoes and threw them against the wall, creating more footprints all the way up. Deafening shouts could still be heard, getting closer by the second, but I was fast with my work and when I was done, I threw my sneakers up through the window and into the peculiar, empty room. I grabbed my blanket-hook, untied the handle and pillow, leaving them laying haphazardly around the room, and proceeded to throw the blanket around myself. I then ran into the farthest corner of the room, kicking the liquid-filled tray against the wall as I did so, and curled up into a little ball. I pushed myself as far back into the corner as possible, hiding openly in plain sight, but hopefully unnoticeable. There were much more important things in the room for the guards to be focused on, rather than a bunched up blanket in the corner of the room.

I could hear the guards' footsteps now, racing down the hall and roughly swinging open the cell door. There were maybe a dozen giant card all cramming themselves into the tiny cell, a couple of them nearly stepping on me, until one of them backed them up out of the cell so that he could carefully examine my fake crime scene. To the card-guard, it would have looked as if I took a running start at the wall and tripped over the tray, spilling the mysterious liquid all over the floor, breaking the mug in the process, and accidentally stepping in the drink. It also would have seemed as if I might have either tried to get a running start a second time, or just kept going. Either way it just appeared as if I jumped and grabbed the ledge of the window, using my feet to push myself farther up the wall and over into the next room. The guards, of course, probably all assumed that that was what had happened, and I had just smashed the window with my fist or something when I got up there. The foolish cards, however, must not have realized how small I was, or they would have realized that no matter what I tried, I could never possibly get up to that window on my own like that.

The guard took out some sort of long metal rod and lifted it high above his head to push a certain spot on the ceiling. There was probably an invisible button up there that opened some sort of passageway. My hypothesis was proven correct, as a large door appeared in the wall at the touch of the button, and the window disappeared. The guard opened the door cautiously, as though he also had no idea what may have been on the other side. The other cards all poured into the room behind him, waiting for something to pop out at them; maybe even waiting for me to jump out and attack. But I wasn't in that room; I was right behind them, waiting for the perfect time to make a run for it. When the last of the guards shuffled into the room, I took that opportunity to silently reveal myself and make a dash towards the large door, slamming it shut behind them. It must have had an automatic lock because, after I closed them in, none of them came rushing out to chase me with the realization of what had just happened.

Nonetheless, I continued to race down the narrow hallways, desperately hoping that no one would catch up with me. I kept running until my already sore legs burned and I finally came to a dead end. There was a single tiny cell at the dead end, much smaller than mine, and a small boy was curled up in the corner, his face hidden in the darkness. There was a large flashing sign above the cell, much like all the others, except this one was even bigger. I looked up at the bright red letters and instantly realized what the signs were all showing. They each showed the particular criminals sentence. All of them, I realized as I looked around me at the other prison cells, had the same thing written.

"Beheading".

"Hello?" I whispered softly, now carefully watching the little boy in the cell. Slowly, he rose from his little corner and revealed himself. In the light, I could see him much more clearly. He was small and pale, and couldn't be much older than about seven years old. He had pure white, chin-length hair that was parted at the side and pushed behind his ear. He gazed up at me with pale blue eyes, and a glimmer of hope could be seen in their depths. I knew that I had to help him.

* * *

**A/N:**

Yes! Finally, I actually got this chapter up! I am very proud of myself and I'm very happy with how this chapter turned out. The first time I wrote it was better, but since the original is forever lost, I think this is the closest I'll ever be able to get.

Also, I just noticed that I've only ever mentioned Echo's eye color once before, all the way back in chapter one. I mentioned it again in this chapter and in case you haven't completely dedicated it to your memory, its golden. Like a bright, rich golden. I was looking through all of the previous chapters for mentions of her eye color (Pretty pathetic that the writer doesn't even know her own character's eye color), and finally found one single mention of her eyes being golden. I was like "I made her eyes golden? Oh yeah, I guess I did." Bad author! :P

I also just wanted to take some time to urge you readers out there to leave some reviews. I want to know how I'm doing with the story, so any comments or suggestions you may have are greatly encouraged! I promised myself I'd never beg for reviews, but oh well. So, pretty pretty please, leave me some reviews with chocolate sprinkles on top? :3

Wow. I should stop now, since my little author's note has turned into an author's essay, and I'm probably boring you guys with all this junk. The next chapter shouldn't take too long to get up, but then again I always say that, and then something always keeps me from getting it done and posted. -_-

So just hold on until my next update and please remember to leave me some reviews! :D


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